Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe to publish memoir on Iran prison ordeal

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is to write a memoir with her husband Richard Ratcliffe about her experience of being held in prison for six years in Iran.

The currently untitled book will tell the full story of Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s imprisonment in Iran and her husband’s campaign for her release.

Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe was visiting her parents in Iran when she was arrested in 2016. She was separated from her daughter as she was about to board a flight home from Tehran.

Iranian authorities accused her of being a spy, an accusation she denied.

After her arrest and imprisonment, her husband Richard organised a long-running campaign to free her, which included a 21-day hunger strike outside the Foreign Office.

Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe returned home to the UK in March due to successful negotiations between the British and Iranian governments.

After her return, Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe accused the UK Foreign Office of being complicit in forcing her to sign a letter of false confession to the Iranian government as part of the last-minute terms.

The government said it had advised her that the Iranians would not allow her to leave the country unless she did so, but that it had not forced her to sign the letter.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori released – in pictures

Her memoir will be released in the autumn of 2023 by Penguin Random House.

Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe said her “story as a hostage is unique, but it is also the story of many other women in Iran in prison who are unknown but have helped me enormously to go through this journey and come out of it stronger”.

“My story is a story of my own uncertainty, fear, faith, survival, hope and love, but also the story of unity and solidarity from so many others,” she said . “Their struggles continue today.”

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe claims she signed false confession 'under duress' - video

Parts of the couple’s story were “always on television, but some of the most important parts got missed”, Mr Ratcliffe said.

“Six years on, our story feels like a discovery of the darker sides of governments and of the kinder sides of people, but also across all the twists and turns simply how we survived,” he said.

“It took a village to get Nazanin home. I am really glad we have a happy ending to share.”

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe speaks for first time since release from Iran - video

Becky Hardie, deputy publishing director at Penguin Random House’s Chatto & Windus imprint, said the book was “about the power of love, the strength to resist and Nazanin’s long journey home to her family”.

“It is so human, so moving and so immediate, readers will be gripped from the start. But it brings with it important messages about our politics, and our roles as individuals in society," Ms Hardie said.

"This is a book that will change how we understand ourselves and our world. It will be a landmark piece of publishing that will live on for decades to come.”

'Is that mummy?' Emotional scenes as Nazanin and Anoosheh are reunited with their families - video